Conservatives Once Again Cite Extreme Cold To Deny Climate Change

After ignoring reports that 2012 was the hottest year on record in the U.S., Rush Limbaugh and Fox Business host Stuart Varney tried to push back against well-established evidence of climate change by citing instances of cold weather.

On the January 11 edition of his radio show, Limbaugh said, "Twenty-seven degrees outside San Diego right now, 27 degrees, and they're talking about global warming" :

Similarly, Varney cited examples of "snow in Jerusalem" and "a deep freeze in China and in Europe," then said that "the green is demanding a carbon tax to prevent global warming." Varney added, "Climate's always changing, isn't it?"

In addition to the fact that scientists have found enormous evidence of climate change and the human causes behind it, the existence of cold weather does not disprove global warming. Despite the right-wing media regularly claiming that cold or snowy weather is evidence that global warming isn't happening, climate scientists -- including at least one who has disputed aspects of the scientific consensus on global warming -- reject the notion that a short-term change in weather, let alone an individual storm, can prove or disprove the existence of manmade climate change.

The National Climate Data Center reported this week that 2012 was the warmest and second most extreme year on record for the contiguous U.S. Fox News largely ignored the story, which runs contrary to its narrative of denying climate change. When liberal-leaning Fox co-host Bob Beckel made the channel's first reference to the record heat, fellow co-host Greg Gutfeld shouted him down.

The New York Times was forced to issue two corrections after relying on Capitol Hill anonymous sourcing for its flawed report on emails from former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Clinton debacle is the latest example of why the media should be careful when relying on leaks from partisan congressional sources -- this is far from the first time journalists who did have been burned.

Several Fox News figures are attempting to shift partial blame onto Samuel DuBose for his own death at the hands of a Cincinnati police officer during a traffic stop, arguing DuBose should have cooperated with the officer's instructions if he wanted to avoid "danger."

Iowa radio host Steve Deace is frequently interviewed as a political analyst by mainstream media outlets like NPR, MSNBC, and The Hill when they need an insider's perspective on the GOP primary and Iowa political landscape. However, these outlets may not all be aware that Deace gained his insider status in conservative circles by broadcasting full-throated endorsements of extreme right-wing positions on his radio show and writing online columns filled with intolerant views that he never reveals during main stream media appearances.